Congenital Heart Surgery is a surgical procedure performed to correct structural abnormalities resulting from the defective development of the baby's heart or major blood vessels in the womb.
✓Congenital Heart Disease Surgery: What Is It?
✓Congenital Heart Disease surgery is a medical specialty that involves the surgical treatment of heart and major blood vessel anomalies present from birth. These diseases result from abnormalities that develop in the structure of the heart or blood vessels before birth. While some Congenital Heart Disease conditions may be too severe to be compatible with life, others may present no symptoms and can be discovered incidentally years later. Congenital Heart Disease surgery aims to restore the heart's normal anatomical and functional structure, particularly through operations performed during infancy and childhood.
✓Congenital Heart Diseases - Acyanotic Heart Diseases
✓In acyanotic heart diseases, oxygen levels in blood circulation are generally normal. In these types of diseases, there is abnormal blood flow from the left heart to the right heart.
✓Atrial Septal Defect (ASD): This is a condition where there is a hole between the heart's atria.
✓Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD): This is a hole in the wall between the heart's ventricles.
✓Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA): The ductus arteriosus, a blood vessel that should close after birth, remains open.
✓Pulmonary Stenosis: There is a narrowing in the blood vessel going to the lungs.
✓Aortic Coarctation: There is a narrowing in a specific portion of the aorta vessel.
✓Congenital Heart Diseases - Cyanotic Heart Diseases
✓Tetralogy of Fallot: A complex disease in which four separate heart anomalies are present together.
✓Transposition: A congenital anomaly in which the main arteries (aorta and pulmonary artery) are transposed.
✓Truncus Arteriosus: There is a single large blood vessel coming out of the heart.
✓Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVD): Oxygenated blood returning from the lungs returns to the heart incorrectly.
✓Tricuspid Atresia: There is no passage between the right atrium and right ventricle.
✓Causes of Congenital Heart Diseases
✓Congenital heart disease results from a developmental problem that occurs early in the structure of the heart. The defect typically interferes with normal blood flow in the heart, which can affect breathing. Although researchers are not completely certain why the heart does not develop properly, suspected causes include:
✓- Heart defects are more likely to be seen in families with heart defects.
✓- Taking certain medications during pregnancy puts a child at higher risk for heart defects.
✓- Using alcohol or illegal drugs during pregnancy can increase a child's risk of having a heart defect.
✓- Mothers who have had a viral infection in the first three months of pregnancy are more likely to give birth to a child with a heart defect.
✓- Increased blood sugar levels, as in diabetes, can affect childhood development.
✓- Women who give birth to a child with a congenital heart defect have a higher risk of giving birth to another child with a heart defect.
✓- Heart defects can occur along with other birth defects.
✓What Are the Symptoms of Congenital Heart Disease?
✓Congenital heart defects are usually detected during pregnancy ultrasound. For example, if your doctor hears an abnormal heartbeat, they can perform specific tests to further investigate the problem. These may include an echocardiogram, a chest X-ray, or an MRI scan. If a diagnosis is made, your doctor will ensure that appropriate specialists are present during delivery.
✓In some cases, symptoms of congenital heart defects may not appear until sometime after birth. Defects are usually found during routine physical examinations. Newborns with heart defects may experience:
✓- Bluish lips, skin, fingers, and toes
✓- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
✓- Feeding difficulties
✓- Low birth weight
✓- Chest pain
✓- Delayed growth
✓How Is Congenital Heart Disease Diagnosed?
✓Tests performed to diagnose heart defects may include:
✓- Physical examination, which includes listening to the heart with a stethoscope.
✓- Chest X-ray
✓- Electrocardiogram to test heart rate patterns
✓- Echocardiogram (takes pictures of the heart using sound waves).
✓- Cardiac catheterization (a thin tube is placed into the heart through a blood vessel to obtain details about heart function).
✓Before Birth
✓Doctors may find certain problems during pregnancy. Your doctor may detect a defect before your baby is born with the following:
✓Fetal Echocardiogram. This test uses images taken with ultrasound to show the heart in motion, so your doctor can see abnormal conditions in the heart valves and structure.
✓Gene Testing. A geneticist takes a small blood sample before your pregnancy or during pregnancy. This is important because if you or a family member has an abnormality, your child's chance of having it can increase up to 50%.
✓During Childhood
✓Other problems may also be found in babies or children. The doctor listens to your child's heartbeat to check their health. If they hear an unusual sound or heart murmur, they may request further tests such as:
✓Echocardiogram: This is a painless type of ultrasound that takes pictures of the heart. It can detect almost any type of congenital heart defect and usually takes less than an hour.
✓Electrocardiogram (EKG): This measures the electrical activity of the heart. This test can diagnose heart rhythm problems called arrhythmias and can find parts of the heart that are too large or working too hard.
✓Chest X-ray: An X-ray can show your doctor signs of an enlarged or unusually shaped heart and can reveal signs of heart failure such as fluid in the lungs.
✓MRI and CT scans: Magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scans are two other types of imaging tests that can provide detailed pictures of the heart.
✓Pulse Oximetry: This measures the oxygen level in your child's blood through a finger sensor. If it shows too little, it may indicate a heart problem.
✓Cardiac Catheterization: If any of the previous tests show that your child has congenital heart disease, your doctors may recommend cardiac catheterization. A doctor guides a very thin, flexible tube (called a catheter) from a blood vessel in the arm or leg to reach the heart. They place dye from the catheter and then use X-ray videos to see inside the heart.
✓How Is Congenital Heart Disease Treated?
✓Medications: There are various medications that can help the heart work more efficiently. Some are also used to prevent blood clots from forming or to control an irregular heartbeat.
✓Implantable Heart Devices: Some complications associated with congenital heart defects can be prevented with the use of certain devices, including heart pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). A heart pacemaker can help regulate an abnormal heart rate, and an ICD can correct life-threatening irregular heartbeats.
✓Catheter Procedures: Catheterization techniques allow doctors to repair certain congenital heart defects without surgically opening the chest and heart. During these procedures, the doctor will place a thin tube into a blood vessel in the leg and guide it to the heart. Once the catheter is in the correct position, the doctor will use small instruments passed through the catheter to correct the defect.
✓To treat pulmonary valve narrowing, the catheter is equipped with a small balloon inflated at the pulmonary valve to separate the fused leaflets.
✓Open Heart Surgery: If catheter procedures are not sufficient to repair a congenital heart defect, this type of surgery may be necessary. A surgeon can perform open heart surgery to close holes in the heart, repair heart valves, or widen blood vessels.
✓Heart Transplant: In rare cases where the congenital heart defect is too complex to be corrected, a heart transplant may be necessary. During this procedure, the child's heart is replaced with a healthy heart from a donor.